The Grand Ship, Titanic
by Ashlee Insane
Summary: This story has one of my early, early, early works. It's cringe worthy really just awful , and I would take it down, but some people seem to like it. I may or may not go back and fix it one day, but for now, it is on hiatus. The story of Adelaide Tasse and her voyage on the greatest ship ever made.
1. Chapter 1: Empty and Speechless

**Empty and Speechless**

"Adelaide? Adelaide? Adeliade wake up! I'm sorry Seth; I don't know what has gotten into her. She should have remembered her manners" a voice said hastily.

"Oh that is quite alright Eileen. I know how long the ride was," a deeper voice replied to the first.

I slowly sat up and opened my eyes. I was in an automobile, stopped in front of the grandest ship in the world. My mother was gently shaking me from where she sat in front of me. They yellow of her dress hurt my eyes which were still adjusting to the light. Next to me sat Seth, in khakis and a casual jacket; just like he usually wore during the afternoon.

"It's about time you woke up Adelaide. You shouldn't have even fallen asleep. It's rude." Mother scolded.

"Ah ladies, no need to worry, we're here," Seth informed us before I could say a word.

The door opened and Seth stepped out; Mother went next. I moved towards the door and grasped Seth's hand. As soon as I was out of the car, I looked up. I suddenly had a sharp intake of breath… it was beautiful.

The Titanic, in all of her glory, was in front of me. She was quite large, bigger than any ship I had ever seen. She was overwhelming.

"What do you think, darling," Seth asked quietly in my ear.

"Amazing. It's absolutely overwhelming!" I whispered, still amazed by the ship.

"Yes. Just wait until you see the inside," he replied. "Come. We best get on before she leaves us!"

A man in a black uniform walked up to us as we were about to head to the ship.

"You must first go to the baggage stand. They'll see that your things are properly taken care of," he told us—well mostly Seth.

"Ahh yes, baggage," here Seth handed the man a few twenty dollar bills. "I'll leave that to you, my kind fellow. My manservant will give you specifics,"

"Of course, Sir! Thank you! I'll do my—"

Before the man could finish though, Seth's manservant interrupted. "Yes, he gets it!" He began to give the man more instructions, but I had already returned my attention to the grand ship Titanic.

Seth, with myself on one arm and Mother on the other, led us up the ramp. At the top, a steward was there to greet us. "Tickets, please," Seth handed the man our tickets. "Parlor Suits B-53, 53, and 54. I'll have a steward escort you."

Yet another steward appeared and led us through the first class entrance and down a grand staircase. Everything was so beautiful floors of wood and marble, incredible glass and crystal chandeliers, it was all made perfectly. Only the grandest for the grandest ship in the world.

I was even more surprised with our suite. It was very large. The sitting room alone was huge, and that was not including our own private deck over looking the bright blue ocean. I was so absorbed in my awe that I jumped as Seth began speaking to me.

"It is beautiful isn't it?"

"Indeed. I am in awe. Had I not seen this with my own eyes, I would not have believed it!" I told him.

"It is brilliant. I must remember to compliment Mr. Andrews when we see him next," my mother said softly. She always speaks softly, as she thinks it is the correct way to speak, especially for young ladies.

A knock on the door and our things were being brought in the sitting room. Myself, Mother, and Seth ordered our things about and we finally got settled down. By the time we did it was time to get ready for dinner. It wouldn't be ready for another hour of course, but we women must get ready.

There were two closets in mine and Seth's room. He would pick out my gown, as usual. He always loved doing that for he says I would be prettier with his help. I think I would be just fine without him snooping about my dresses.

He picked out a dark green gown. It had off-white lace covering the top part of it, the bodice. The dress was long sleeved, but very low cut. I did not like to wear such revealing things, but if Seth wanted it, Seth would have it. That is how things went, whether I liked it or not. To top it off, the gown required a corset. I despised the things, but Seth insisted that it perfected my figure.

Seth left, assuring me that he would meet me at dinner. I was happy for him to go. Now I could finish getting ready in peace.

"Hello, Miss," a timid voice said from the door.

I turned to see one of the Titanic's maids, dressed in the customary black and white dress. "Hello," I responded.

"I am Elizabeth O'Connell, Miss. I'm going to be your personal maid for your journey,"

"I am Adelaide Tasse," I replied.

"Would you like me to help you change?" she offered.

"Yes, thank you,"

I got dressed. As usual, the corset was the worst part. I have always hated bracing myself for it. The not breathing part was pretty bad too.

After dressing Elizabeth asked if I would like her to do my hair. I had never been any good at that, so I politely accepted, with no emotion of course. She put my very long, dark brown hair into a loose, yet elegant bun. Around the bun, she put a circular pin, studded with emeralds. It was a present from Seth.

She then left and I was free to pick out the rest of my accessories. I chose a thin, gold chain with a small, round emerald. The large diamond ring on my left hand could not be removed of course, although I wish it could be.

An hour had passes since I began to dress, yet I remained in my seat at the vanity in mine and Seth's room. I stared at myself in the mirror. I could see why Seth had chosen me out of all others. I appeared to be a proper young lady, quick-witted and talented. My dark brown, wild hair was thick and always shining. My skin was somewhat light, as proper ladies were not to be in the sun often. My eyes though, had changed. They were usually an odd silver color, which was full of energy and life. Now they showed nothing. My eyes were dead.

"Adelaide! What on earth are you doing? Dinner was announced thirty minutes ago! Seth is waiting for you, and I am eager to meet with the Countess!" my mother snapped at me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I sighed and stood up. "I am ready, Mother. Let us go to dinner,"


	2. Chapter 2: Fevers Make You Do Things

We walked out one of the doors and into the hallway. I could smell the fresh paint. The smell confirmed that the ship was indeed brand new.

Mother and I continued walking until we reached the grand staircase. The staircase was made of marble and beautiful carved redwood. The walls in this area of the ship were wood paneled as well. That wasn't the part that caught my attention though. The part that attracted my eye was the dome. It was beautiful and made entirely of glass. Around the circumference of the dome were various designs. It was absolutely beautiful; I couldn't look away. That is, until mother began to pull me down the first flight of stairs. We then came to the landing and were met by Seth.

"Ladies, you look lovely," he told us, although he was looking at me the entire time. After offering me his arm, we walked down the stairs; my mother trailed behind us. When we reached the first class dining hall, I had to stop to take everything in—yet again. Or maybe that was just because Seth had stopped to make small talk with his rich, so called, friends.

While he was talking, I allowed my eyes to wander across the room. There were multiple tables spread across the room. They all had white lace tablecloths on them and were set with only the finest crystal and glass wine goblets, along with silver and gold plates. Everything was so attractive, that I couldn't pry my eyes off of the room. I smiled out of happiness—something I had not done in a long time.

Seth brought me to a long table and pulled out a chair for me. I sat, and then he sat on my left. Mother sat on my right. There were others at the table too, for we were the last to arrive.

At the head of the table sat Mr. Ismay. He was rather old, and he looked as if he was sucking on a piece of sour candy. Across from Seth, sat Mr. Andrews—the builder of the Titanic. He looked very kind, yet he didn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings; Mr. Andrews looked to be thinking deeply about something.

Next to him was Margaret Brown, but when she introduced herself, she insisted I call her Molly. She was different from all of the other snobs at our table—she wasn't ladylike. She was very bold and spoke what was on her mind. She is what my mother called "new money." That is someone who is new to the whole "rich" thing. I took an immediate liking to her; I wish I could be like her.

Everyone on the right side of me was friends with Mother and Seth. I really took no interest in them, so I just introduced myself and returned my attention back to Molly and Mr. Andrews.

"Mr. Andrews, your ship is beautiful. However did you come up with all of this?" Mother questioned.

Mr. Andrews snapped out of his trance and smiled. "I wanted something different; something better than everything else. I simply took the biggest and the best things around and built a ship,"

"Of course, he could not have done it without financial support," Mr. Ismay added in. I could tell I was not going to like him.

"Miss Tasse, what do you thing of the Titanic?" Mr. Andrews asked me.

Seth and Mother turned their attention towards me, making sure that I didn't make a fool out of myself. "I think she is splendid, Mr. Andrews," I said quietly. I was going to add more, but Mother shot me an icy glare, telling me that the answer I gave would suffice. I turned my attention to my hands in my lap.

Soon, after more talk which I ignored, a waiter came up to us and began to take orders. "What'll it be, Miss?" he asked me.

"I'll have—"

"The lamb, medium rare with a side of greens. Her caviar will be taken with lemon. I'll have the same." Seth told him.

I suddenly became very interested with my hands, which were in my lap. I hated when Seth—and sometimes Mother—would talk for me. They both knew that I didn't like it one bit, and that is exactly why they did it. They both think I have too much freedom. That is why I am so rebellious towards them. One cannot have enough freedom.

"Are ya gonna' cut her food too, Seth?" Molly asked in her undeniably American accent. I looked up at her and smiled slightly. She was looking at Seth, smiling, but her eyes glared at him. I wish I had the courage to say something like that to him.

Seth did not reply; instead he put his and under my chin and made me look at him. "You don't mind do you, darling?" he asked me.

It took me a moment to find my voice. I wanted to scream out "Yes! I do mind! I am _not_ your manservant! You cannot order me about and tell me what to eat!" Of course I could never do such a thing, however much I wanted to. So I answered him quietly, "No, Seth. I don't mind,"

He raised an eyebrow at me, so I smiled at him. It wasn't genuine, it was just something little to keep him satisfied. He nodded and let my chin go. Molly turned away and began talking to Mr. Andrews. I began to examine my hands some more, ignoring all of the conversations around me.

Eventually, our dinner came. I picked at bits and pieces of my meal, but after the conversation that took place earlier, I really wasn't hungry. I let my mind wander to more pleasant thoughts.

What was I going to do after dinner? I had read the copied blueprints of the Titanic over and over until I had memorized them. I couldn't wait to explore and see the entire ship for real.

"Care to join me for a brandy gentleman?" Mr. Ismay inquired, interrupting my thoughts. I watched as all of the men got up from the table, except for Seth. He stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. I almost jumped, for his hand was cold. I looked up at him.

"Would you like me to escort you to our room, Addie?" Oh, how I despised when he called me that!

"No thank you, Seth. I think I'll stay here for a while longer,"

He said nothing in response. Instead he hurried off towards the first class smoking room with the other so called gentlemen.

I had no intention of returning to my room anytime soon. I was going to wander around for a bit. "Mother?" I whispered.

"Yes?" she responded, rather quizzically.

"I'm going on deck for a while, to get some fresh air. I'm not feeling to well."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Perhaps I should call for Seth and have him take you back to our suite…"

My eyes widened at her response. I definitely did not want him to be around. Luckily, Molly came to my rescue after seeing the look on my face. "She's a big girl. She can handle herself. Plus, the fresh air'll do the poor gal some good,"

"I agree!" I quickly added in, so she would know that it really would help me.

"Alright," she said and I was walking away before she could say anything else.

I walked through the dining room, which now consisted of only women—excluding the few stewards cleaning up. I went back up the stairs and went outside on the upper deck.

The chilly night air hit me hard, as I was not expecting it in the least. It didn't matter though… I was getting hotter by the second. I leaned on the railing and looked around. Turning my head to the right, I saw the stern of the ship. It was completely empty, so I took off running. I ran as fast as I could, which was not very fast because my heels hurt my feet and my dress was getting caught around my legs.

I pushed and maneuvered my way around couples who were taking strolls around the upper deck. Down a small flight of stairs I went; the metal clinking beneath my shoes.

I was now on the main deck. I was burning up now, yet I had no clue as to why. I took a deep breath and sped up. I was surprised that the wood wasn't breaking beneath my feet, for when I ran, I hit the planks hard. At last, my target grew near. I saw the railing at the back of the ship and ran full force into it, because my shoes wouldn't allow me to stop.

Slowly, I sank to the floor, sitting on my knees, and facing the ocean. I grasped the cold railing firmly. I laid my burning forehead on it to help it cool down. Why was I feeling like this? What was wrong with me? I had been fine during dinner. Dinner… Seth and Mother controlling my life… I just wanted to get away from them. Get away from all the selfish pig headed rich snobs! Get away from the world…

The water swirling below me was as dark as the night around me—with the exception of the white wake that the ship was making. The combination of the two together made the water look playful. I grasped the top bar of the railing and pulled myself up. I stepped up onto the railing and leaned over to get a better look at the water.

Unexpectedly, I felt a tear escape my eye. It surprised me; I couldn't remember the last time I had cried. I reached up and wiped the tear away. I wasn't going to cry. Never again. I looked at the water again; I knew it was cold, but it looked so inviting. I wanted to jump in, just to cool myself down.

I stepped up onto the next railing, there were five and I had been standing on the first. I grabbed the rope next to me, to steady myself while stepping onto the third railing. Before I could step up any farther, however, a strand of loose hair got tangled in the rope.

"Ow!" I screeched. My head was very sensitive, and just that one strand of hair made my whole head hurt. I looked back down at the water, and then attempted to look at my hair. As soon as I moved my head, the hair pulled against me. "Ow," I said again.

Gradually, I moved my right hand up the cord to my tangled strand of dark brown hair. I fiddled with it for a moment, before deciding that it was impossible to get it out of the rope. I cried out in frustration. How silly would this look if someone came!

A loud "Ahem," was heard from behind me. This startled me greatly, so I jumped and quickly ripped my head around to see who made that noise. Unfortunately, because I turned so fast, the piece of hair that had been caught in the rope, ripped out of my head.

"OW!" I bellowed. I brought my hands up to my head in attempt to stop the throbbing pain. That was a big mistake. As soon as I took my hands off of the white metal railing, I lost my balance. I grabbed the rail, but it was too late. I was already dangling off the stern of the Titanic. "Oh, oh, oh," I repeated over and over again. I looked down.

Below me, the formerly playful looking water now looked wicked and dark. To the contrary of what I had thought earlier, I did _not_ want to go in there now. One of my hands slipped. "HELP!" I screamed as loud as I could.

"Oh my god," I heard a voice say from above me. It was the same voice that had 'ahemed' earlier. "Stay calm! Hold on! I've got you" I felt the man grip onto my hand that was holding onto the railing. He was attempting to pull me up. "Let go of the railing!"

"_What!?!_" I yelled.

"Don't worry, I got you!" the man replied.

I did as I was told, although it took all I could to do so. I felt the barrette holding my hair in its bun slip out. I watched it fall into the dark ocean beneath me. My eyes widened in fear. "AHHH!" I screamed as loud as I could. My now loose hair began whipping around my face franticly.

The man that was helping me slowly began to pull me up. My head was now over the railing. I was going to make it over! "You gotta help me now! Pull yourself up!" he instructed.

I tried pulling myself up, but I didn't have enough strength. I had spent it all while holding onto the railing of the stern. Instead, I kicked my feet. My shoulders were now over the railing. "Don't let go!" I pleaded.


End file.
